Art of manufacturing containers or parts thereof



Oct. 11, 1938. H, M. KIECKHEFER ART OF MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS OR PARTS THEREOF Filed Oct. 16, 1937 I N%DR.

Patented Oct. 11', 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ART OF MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS OB PARTS THEREOF Application October 16, 1937, Serial No. 169,417

17 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of manufacturing containers or parts thereof, and is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 84,148, filed June 8th, 1936.-

It has heretofore been proposed to treat assembled fiberboard boxes with sulphur for the purpose of increasing the rigidity thereof and to render the same impervious to moisture. However, these boxes when so treated, could not be collapsed for shipment and therefore were impractical for most purposes. The present invention relates in general to this type of treatment but contemplates a different and improved method of procedure and an improved article of manufacture whereby the impregnated container partsmay be compactly and economically shipped to the user in flat form and subsequently assembled by the user into the proper form for use as a container element such as a box liner.

In prior attempts at sulphur impregnation, solid fiberboard material has been used and efforts to first treat the material and then subsequently form containers therefrom were entirely unsatisfactory as the sulphur treated material, due to the penetration of the sulphur throughout the liners or outside plies of the solid sheet, re-

sisted bending, and if bending were finally accomplished, there would be a wedging action at the line of fold which would break the board at the score.

It has been found-that corrugated material, due to the fact that it is constructed of two liner members spaced apart by a corrugated member so that the center is not solid, can be bent much more readily after impregnation than solid fiberboard. When said bending is performed on impregnated corrugated board, the center corrugated member, even if impregnation has extended thereto, will crush very readily due to the fact that it is so light in calibre. However, even with the use of corrugated board, difficulties were encountered in endeavoring to form impregnated containers therefrom which could be shipped in knockdown form or bent at a score produced prior to sulphur treatment.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manu-' facturing containers or parts thereof which includes the use of corrugated board and the manipulation of said board in a particular way during and after impregnation so that the sulphur impregnated containers and parts thereof may be formed which can be shipped in knockdown condition.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a method which is particularly adapted for the manufacture of impregnated liners for containers, which method comprises scoring a 7 sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding said sections-on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping the sheet thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving the sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and preferably before the solidification of the sulphur has been a completed, and subsequently folding the collapsed liner to assembly form on the lines of scoring when the sulphur is in solidified form.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing containers consisting of forming an outer container in collapsed form and of material which is not impregnated with sulphur, forming out of corrugated board a continuous liner for those walls of the container which are adapted to be vertically disposed, scoring said continuous'liner along lines adapted 'to substantially coincide with the corners of the outer container, dipping the liner into melted sulphur while sections thereof are positioned at an angle with respect to one another, moving the sections of the liner to substantially flat position before solidification of the, sulphur has been completed, subsequently assembling the outer container for use, and then folding the liner on the lines of scoring to assembly position while the sulphur is in solidified form, and inserting the liner in the outer container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing containers and parts thereof which includes the use of wide lines of scoring to facilitate the drainage. of sulphur during dipping, said wide lines of scoring also permitting bending of parts to a ninety-degree angle during assembly, there being an inherent resistance to further bending due to the impregnation and the type of scoring.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved art of manufacturing containers and parts thereof in all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

, In the accompanying drawing illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention in which the same reference numerals designate the same 'parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a liner for a shipping container illustrating the form in which it is preferred to hold: said liner during immersion in the impregnatingfmaterial;

Fig. 2 1s an edge view showing one way in which a liner may be folded to compact position after impregnation; the dot-'and-dash lines? indicating how parts thereof are bent te'assembly form;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the lines of scering of the liner;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing one of the parts adjacent said line of scoring bent to assembly form; 7

5 is an end view of a stack of liners which have been fdlded to compact position in accordance with the method of Fig. 2 illustrating how said liners may be'shlpped or stored;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a shipping container, one of the liners being inserted therein;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view through a shipping container showing an impregnating liner therein;

Fig. 8 is an edge, view of a liner showing another way in which it may be positioned after impregnation, 'to provide for compact storage and shipment; and i Fig. 9 is an end view of a stack of liners each in the compact elongated position of Fig. 8, showing how said liners maybe shipped or stored.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it is proposed to reenforce an ordinary unimpregnated shipping container 3| by the use of a sulphur impregnated liner. However, the problem of constructing the liner in such a way that it could be shipped fiat and still fold it to assembly position without breaking the material at the lines of scoring, was present and had to be solved. With the present method, a box liner of corrugated board consisting of a plurality of foldably connected sections 24, 25, 26 and 21,

and score-:1 along the lines 28, 29 and 30, which in this instance extend parallel to the corrugations of the board, is utilized. The ordinary way of impregnating a liner thus com tructed would be to dip it in molten sulphur while in unbent flat stretched-out position. This, however, is not practical because after the sulphur solidifies, then it is dificult to bend the board on the lines 28, 29 and 30 for assembly purposes without rupturing portions of the board. It has been found that the board must first be bent on the lines of scoring to break some of the fibres thereof before it is dipped in the sulphur. It may then be returned to original position and dipped while flat, but it is preferable to retain the board in bent'position during dipping as hereinafter described. it is preferred to bend the sections 24,v 25, 2G and 21 at oblique angles with respect to one another as shown in Fig. 1, and hold the liner in this position by means of a suitable frame while it is being dipped in the sulphur. After the liner has been thus dipped, the sections thereof are preferably moved to a compact shipping position before the solidification of the sulphur has been completed. Accordingly, the impregnated liner may be folded to the flat position of Fig. 2 wherein some of the sections are superimposed on other sections, or the liner may be stretched out to the shipping pesition of Fig. 8. .Either method provides for compact shipment of a stack of liners in the manner shown in either Fig. 5 or 9. In the claims, the expression moving said sections to a position of substantial alinement contemplates movement to either the position of Fig. 2 or 8.

' By dipping the liner while it-is held' in the position of Fig. 1, proper drainage is-permitted form as shown in Figs. 5 and 9ftogether with the collapsed containers proper. The user then assembles the containers 3! in the ordinary manner preparatory to inserting the liners therein. To prepare liners which have been stacked in accordance with the method of Figs. 2 and 5 for insertion; the section 26 is swung out toward the dot-and-dash line position of Fig. 2, causing breakage of some of the sulphur-coated fibers aiong therline 25 on one side of the line (if scoring 28 and there will be a natural tendency to resist bending past ninety degrees. Thesection 21 is bent outwardly in azsimilar manner toward the dot-and-dashline position of Fig. 2 and there will be a similar tendency to resist bending past ninety degrees. In the case of the sections 25 and it, these sections are bent relative to one another on the line of scoring 29, from the" position of Fig. 3 to the position of Fig. 4, and it will be noted that the sulphur-impregnated shoulder 32 which is a part of the line of scoring 29, forms a stop to resist bending of the section 25 past ninety degrees, as indicated in Fig. 11.

sulphur'while bent on all of the lines of scoring, makes it possible to do this folding to as sembly form with a minimum amount of break ing of sulphur-coated fibers.

' To prepare liners which have been shipped in the form of Figs. 8 and 9, for assembly, said liners are folded on lines of scoring 28. 29, and 30 until the sections form right angles with respect to one another. Substantially the same action takes place during said bending, as heretofore described in connection with Figs. 2, 3 and 4 when the'liner of said figure is bent on the line of' scoring 29.

As a result of the particular method of impregnation and of the use of corrugated board, these liners may be shipped flat as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, and due .to the impregnated construction at the lines of scoring, the corners of the liner will have unusual strength to brace the container against external forces on said corners. In addition, the stiffening throughout the liner resultinfrom the impregnation reinforces all of the side walls and also lends to the shipping container a vertical rigidity which permits stacking of a number of boxes one above another without danger of crushing the boxes below. This feature of the invention is particularly advantageous when containers are stored in cold storage rooms, as even if the walls of the container proper are weakened by absorption of moisture, nevertheless, waterproof liners will hold the container in proper shape.

The important feature of the invention resides in the dipping of the scored liner which has previously been bent on lines of scoring, the dipping preferably being performed while the sections of the liner are disposed at an angle with respect to one another, and while the sulphur may be permitted to completely solidify The fact that the liner was formerly dipped in after removal from the bath and while the liner is in this position, it is nevertheless preferred to immediately move the sections of the liner to the position of Fig. 2 or 8 before the sulphur has solidified. While theuse of corrugated board is much preferred in connection with carrying out the present method, due to the features thereof heretofore described, it is of course possible to carry the method out in connection with uncorrugated fiberboard, and the term fiberboard" as used in some of the claims, contemplates either corrugated board or solid fiberboard.

Although two variations of the method have been shown and described, it is obvious that various other changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is: I

1. The method of manufacturing container elements,- comprising scoring-a sheet of fiberboard along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding at least one of said sections on a line of scoring to an angular position less than 180 degrees with respect to an adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving said sections to a position of substantial alinement after dipping and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

2. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of fiberboard along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding at least one of said sections on a line of scoring to an oblique angle with respect to an adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving said sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

3. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of fiberboard along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding all of said sections on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an oblique angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving the sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and before solidification ofthe sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring, with'each section forming a right angle with respect to each adjacent section while the sulphur is in solidified form.

4. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding at least one of said sections on a line of scoring to an angular 5. -The method of manufacturing container elelines of scoring while the sulphur ments, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding t least one of said sections on a line of scoring. to an oblique.

angle with respect to an adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving said sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said is in.solidified form.

6. The method of manufacturing container ele ments, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding all of said sections on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an oblique angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving the sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring, with each section forming a right angle with respect to each adjacent section while the sulphur is in solidified form.

7. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along spaced parallel lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding all of said sections on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an oblique angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping'the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving the sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring, with each section forming a right angle with respect to each adjacent section while the sulphur is in solidified form.

8. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related' sections, folding at least one of said sections on a line of scoring to an angular position less than 180 degrees with respect to an adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving said sections to an elongated stretched-out position after dipping and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

9. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring .a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding said sections on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an oblique angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping the sheet thus disposed into melted sulphur, folding said sections to a fiat position wherein some of the sections are superimposed on other sections after removal from the sulphur and before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

10. The method of manufacturing containers,

: dipping said liner into melted sulphur while sections thereof are folded at an angle with respect to one another on said lines of scoring, moving the sections of the liner to substantially flat position before solidification of the sulphur has been completed, assembling the outer container, folding the liner on the lines of scoring to assembly position while the sulphur is in solidified form, and inserting the liner in the outer container.

11. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of fiberboard along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding at least one of said sections on a line of scoring to an angular position less than 180 degrees with respect to an adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving said sections to a position of substantial alinement after clipping, and subsequently folding the container elements to assembly form on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

- 12. The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldably related sections, folding all of said sections on said lines of scoring to a position wherein each section forms an oblique angle with respect to each adjacent section, dipping the sections thus disposed into melted sulphur, moving the sections to a position of substantial alinement after removal from the sulphur, and

subsequently folding the container elements, to

assembly form on said lines of scoring, with each section forming a right angle with respect to each adjacent section while the sulphur is in solidified form.

13.-The method of manufacturing container elements, comprising scoring a sheet of corrugated board along desired lines to form a plurality of foldablyrelated sections, folding said sections on said lines of scoring to break some of the fibers at the lines of scoring, dipping the sheet into melted sulphur, removing the sheet from the sulphur and allowing the same to solidify while the sheet is in fiat completely stretched out condition for shipment, and subsequently folding the container element to assembly form on said lines of scoring while the sulphur is in solidified form.

14. The method of manufacturing containers, comprising forming an outer container in collapsed form and of material which is not impregnated with sulphur, forming from corrugated board a liner for walls of the container, scoring said liner along at least one line adapted to coincide with a corner of the container, dipping said scored liner into melted sulphur, allowing said sulphur to solidify, assemblingthe outer container, folding the liner on the lines of scoring to assembly position while the sulphur is in solidified form, #and inserting the liner in the outer container.--

15. The method of manufacturing containers, comprising forming an outer container in collapsed form and of material which is not impregnated with sulphur, forming from corrugated board a liner for walls ofthe container, scoring said liner along at least one line adapted to coincide with a comer of the container, folding said liner on the lines of scoring to break some of the fibers at the lines of scoring, dipping said scored liner into melted sulphur; allowing said sulphur tosolidify, assembling the outer container, folding the liner on the lines of scoring to assembly position while the sulphur is in solidified form, and inserting the liner in the outer container.

16. The method of manufacturingcontainers,

comprising forming an outer container in collapsed form and of material which is not impregnated with sulphur, forming from corrugated board a liner for walls of the container, scoring said liner along at least one line adapted to coincide with a comer of the container, folding said liner on the lines of scoring to break some of the fibers at the lines of scoring, dipping said scored liner into melted sulphur, allowing said sulphur to solidify while the sections of the liner are disposed in a flat position, assembling the outer container, folding the liner on the lines of scoring to assembly position while the sulphur is in solidified form, and inserting the liner in the outer container.

17. The method of manufacturing containers, comprising forming an outer container in collapsed form and of material which is not impregnated with sulphur, forming a continuous liner of corrugated board for those walls of the container which are adapted to be vertically disposed,-scoring said continuous liner along lines adapted to substantially coincide with the corners of the container, dipping said scored liner into melted sulphur, moving the sections of the liner to substantially fiat position, assembling the outer container, folding the liner on the lines the outer container.

HERBERT M. KIECKHEFER. 

